“What I wish I knew before hiring a Dietitian” - The Dietitian Business Podcast

Welcome to The Dietitian Business Podcast, where we help private practice dietitians turn their side hustles into thriving, sustainable businesses. In this episode, host Maggy Doherty, registered dietitian and business coach, invites Tara Durden, owner of Nutrition Thyme, for a deep-dive coaching session on hiring, onboarding, and scaling a team as a dietitian entrepreneur. If you’re a dietitian in private practice ready to hire your first employee or take the leap into a group practice, this episode is packed with step-by-step strategy and mindset shifts. Maggy and Tara walk through everything from creating an onboarding checklist to defining your practice values, training new hires, and building structure into your EMR and client flow. Tara shares her journey from clinical dietitian to private practice owner, revealing how motherhood, flexibility, and purpose shaped her career path. What began as a side gig—posting recipes on Instagram and seeing clients after long shifts in the hospital—grew into a full-time business now expanding with multiple dietitians on staff. Together, Maggy and Tara explore the mindset and systems behind scaling while keeping your business aligned with your life.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How to confidently hire and onboard your first dietitian employee

• Step-by-step training and onboarding workflows using Practice Better and Gusto

• Building a company culture through mission, values, and communication systems

• Creating checklists, templates, and protocols that streamline your practice

• How to transition from seeing clients full-time to leading a team of dietitians

• Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship in a growing business

• Maggy’s framework for scaling from a team of one to 40 dietitians

Tara’s story reflects what so many dietitian entrepreneurs experience: starting small, wearing every hat, and realizing that true growth requires structure, leadership, and delegation. You’ll hear actionable coaching moments about training new team members, organizing your onboarding process, and learning when to step back so your team can thrive.

Maggy brings years of experience helping registered dietitians scale their businesses sustainably—with systems that save time, protect your energy, and strengthen your mission. Whether you’re ready to expand beyond solo practice, hire your first team member, or optimize your onboarding process, this conversation gives you the clarity and confidence to scale with purpose.

If you’ve ever wondered how to:

• Turn your solo practice into a group practice,

• Build an onboarding system that sets your team up for success,

• Manage EMR training, documentation, and HR with ease,

• Balance motherhood and business ownership without burnout —

Then this episode is your roadmap to growth.